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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a line
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — for sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bound — tied together
  16. court — of law
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ground — a position
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bass — the instrument

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