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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — finally
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bound — tied together
  20. last — to go on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. band — a ring
  23. last — final
  24. bound — certain

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