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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — for catching
  13. bound — tied together
  14. file — a document
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  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