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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hand — help
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — of the year
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bore — to tire
  20. race — a contest
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. season — in sport

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