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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — in cards
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. object — a thing
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — help
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. object — an aim
  13. net — for catching
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. net — in sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. land — ground
  20. net — after costs
  21. land — to come down
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. object — to protest

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