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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to tire
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bound — obliged
  10. present — the time now
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. present — there

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