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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spell — letters
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — the earth
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ground — a position
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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