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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. capital — money
  8. dip — to sink
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. clip — to cut
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bore — to tire
  14. capital — a city
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. game — a match
  20. clip — a video
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bore — to drill
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. leaves — lets stay

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