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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spell — a short time
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — in music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — to come from
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. key — for a lock

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