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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — a path
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. land — ground
  14. track — a song
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to bend
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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