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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — to tire
  5. club — for dancing
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — the season
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a ring
  12. club — a group
  13. lean — thin
  14. club — for golf
  15. staff — a stick
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — to drill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — employees

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