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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — a phone
  7. object — a thing
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — to be able to
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. object — to protest
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to drill
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. object — an aim
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. plane — a tool

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