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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bore — to drill
  4. club — for golf
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cold — an illness
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. club — a group
  24. trunk — of a car

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