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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. bore — to drill
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bank — of a river
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. race — humankind
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bank — for money
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bank — for money
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. saw — the tool

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