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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. clip — a video
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to drill
  6. band — a ring
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. clip — to cut
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bore — to tire
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. band — a music group
  24. spring — the season

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