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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bore — to tire
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. spring — of water
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. drill — army training
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — to drill
  20. drill — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — the season

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