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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. face — to confront
  3. squash — to crush
  4. clip — a video
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — to point toward
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. current — 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