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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. root — of a word
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fall — the season
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lean — to bend
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — of the year
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — the cause
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — a container

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