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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. can — to be able to
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. march — music
  7. spring — of water
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. march — the month
  10. can — a tin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. club — for golf
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. club — a group
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bore — to drill
  24. prune — to trim

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