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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — low music
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tube — the underground
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stand — to bear
  14. craft — a skill
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — to tire
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — part of the head
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. stand — on your feet

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