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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. club — for golf
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — the tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a music group
  17. drill — army training
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. club — a group
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rock — a stone
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. club — for dancing

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