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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lean — thin
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — to drill
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — a safe
  17. board — to get on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mate — a partner
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bass — low music

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