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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — a phone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rash — a series
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. object — an aim
  24. bore — to drill

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