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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — child
  4. press — newspapers
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. track — a path
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. track — a song
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to tire

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