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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — for catching
  4. degree — from a university
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. bore — to drill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com