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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — of water

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