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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — the amount
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — to recline
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to drill
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lie — an untruth

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