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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. track — to keep track
  7. file — a document
  8. land — to come down
  9. snap — to click
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. craft — boats
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bore — to tire
  15. deal — to handle
  16. track — a song
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. craft — a skill
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — ground
  21. track — a path
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a line of people

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