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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — a hat
  11. land — ground
  12. cap — of ice
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — a position
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — a lid
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a tool

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