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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — child
  17. last — to go on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — the cause
  24. spring — of water

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