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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cold — an illness
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ground — a position
  9. firm — decided
  10. craft — a skill
  11. scale — size or range
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — boats
  17. bore — to drill
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ground — crushed
  20. row — a line
  21. scale — in music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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