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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fine — all right
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. sharp — clever
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. last — final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — to go on
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. last — finally
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. craft — boats
  24. temple — side of the head

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