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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. squash — the sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — a practice
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — low music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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