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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. craft — boats
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. craft — a skill
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to click
  18. fork — in a road
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wave — of the sea

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