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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 124 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — of water
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. trunk — of a car

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