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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. game — a match
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — of water
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. current — electric
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — happening now
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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