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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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bore — to tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ground — crushed
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — the earth
  18. shower — rain
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — a break
  24. staff — employees

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