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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — a group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — of water
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. club — for dancing
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mate — a friend

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