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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to drill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. land — to come down
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. bore — to tire
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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