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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pop — music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spell — magic
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tube — a container
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bound — tied together
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bound — certain
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — letters
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kid — to tease

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