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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rest — a break
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — of the year
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — in sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. row — a line
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fine — a penalty

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