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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 124 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lie — to recline
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a ring
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — to drill
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — to trim
  16. shower — rain
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. prune — the fruit

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