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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stem — to come from
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tear — to rip
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pound — a weight
  16. charge — a price
  17. swing — music
  18. charge — in control
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stem — of a plant

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