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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — a video
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. bore — to drill
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a list
  24. spell — a short time

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