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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rest — a break
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spring — the season
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — a tool
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. plane — an aircraft

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