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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pass — a permit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — of water

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