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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. present — the time now
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — wild animals
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to drill
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to click
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spring — the season
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — of water
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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