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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. current — of water
  4. season — of the year
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to click
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bore — to drill
  12. current — happening now
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. current — electric
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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