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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. scale — in music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — low music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — of water
  21. mate — a partner
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spell — letters

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