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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — magic
  7. bore — to drill
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spell — a short time
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. mark — a trace
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. temple — a place of worship

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