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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. season — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a ring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bat — the animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. band — a music group
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — child
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — of the year
  24. fan — to cool the air

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