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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. key — the most important part
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. key — in music
  18. current — of water
  19. fall — the season
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — a video
  23. bore — to drill
  24. clip — to cut

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