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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — rain
  6. key — for a lock
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bore — to drill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. key — in music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. land — to come down
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — a country
  21. pass — a permit
  22. land — ground
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lie — an untruth

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