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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bore — to tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. roll — a cake
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — a list
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spring — of water
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — the season
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. prune — to trim
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. prune — the fruit

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