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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — in sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fine — high quality
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — a penalty

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