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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bore — to tire
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — a country
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. snap — to click
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. land — ground
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bore — to drill

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