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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. can — to be able to
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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