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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — a short time
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to drill
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a document
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hand — in cards
  24. key — in music

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