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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hand — help
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rock — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — a country
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. vault — a safe
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. land — ground

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