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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — the season
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a match
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — a container
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bore — to drill
  24. foot — a measure

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