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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bore — to drill
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. land — a country
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. root — the cause
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — ground
  20. root — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — to visit

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