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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. row — a line
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — help

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