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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wake — a trail
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. kid — child
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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