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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bore — to drill
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mate — a partner
  20. staff — employees
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mate — a friend

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