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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bound — obliged
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — to tire
  18. last — final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. root — of a word
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  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