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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. track — a song
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fall — the season
  7. cue — for pool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  24. lash — an eyelash

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