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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a music group
  6. bore — to drill
  7. club — a group
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. suit — clothes
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. band — a ring
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — child
  18. rash — hasty
  19. club — for golf
  20. hand — help
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — to tease
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a tree

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