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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pop — soda
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — to get on
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pop — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. clip — a video
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — a jug

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