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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spring — of water
  4. band — a ring
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — letters
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. spell — magic
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spell — a short time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. band — a music group
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — to drill

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