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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — to paddle
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stem — to come from
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — happy
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — the amount
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — a line
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a song
  24. bear — the animal

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