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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chair — a leader
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. lie — to recline
  21. hand — help
  22. spring — of water
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — to bear

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