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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. row — a line
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a path
  9. staff — employees
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bore — to drill
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — to push
  18. content — happy
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — a publisher
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. spring — the season

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