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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tube — the underground
  4. march — the month
  5. last — final
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — finally
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — to visit
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — a container
  18. pop — soda
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. march — music
  24. last — to go on

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