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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lean — thin
  6. capital — a city
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. deal — to handle
  11. root — of a word
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bat — the animal
  21. capital — money
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. root — the cause

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