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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. present — there
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. present — the time now
  16. drill — army training
  17. last — to go on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. drill — the tool
  24. present — a gift

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