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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. track — a song
  13. lean — to bend
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a path
  16. land — ground
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. lean — thin
  22. hand — help
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bore — to drill

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