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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bore — to tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — electric
  6. net — for catching
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. current — of water
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — happening now
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — after costs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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