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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. net — in sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — after costs
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. object — a thing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. object — an aim
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — to protest
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — to put up with

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