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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — of water
  7. bore — to drill
  8. current — happening now
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — electric
  24. fine — all right

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