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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ground — a position
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — crushed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bore — gave birth

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