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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rush — hurry

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