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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — to go on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. craft — a skill
  6. track — a path
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. hand — in cards
  10. roll — a list
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — for light
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — finally
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — final
  22. track — a song
  23. bore — to drill
  24. track — to keep track

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