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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. stem — to come from
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mine — for digging
  19. capital — money
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. capital — a city
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. capital — a big letter

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