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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. root — of a word
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. staff — employees
  20. root — the cause
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pound — to hit hard

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