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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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