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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ground — a position
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mine — belonging to me

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