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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. saw — the tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — to cut
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — to tire
  22. clip — a video
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hide — to keep secret

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