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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — a video
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. ground — crushed
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a music group
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. band — a ring

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