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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stem — to come from
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stock — goods
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — shares
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. roll — a list
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mine — for digging

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