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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bore — to drill
  15. can — a tin
  16. tube — a container
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to tire

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