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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. game — a match
  3. spell — magic
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a music group
  7. can — a tin
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bore — to drill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stand — to bear
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a ring
  18. game — wild animals
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — a gift
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a rubber band

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