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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — a break
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — ground
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. land — a country
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bass — low music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — to come down
  24. row — to paddle

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