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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pit — a hole
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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