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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pound — a weight
  4. content — the amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — to drill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — a face
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — happy
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. patient — a sick person

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