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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. season — in sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — a weight
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. hand — in cards
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — of the year

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