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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bore — to drill
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bound — certain
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — tied together
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. foot — a measure

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