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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — a coil
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spring — the season
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — of water
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. rock — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cap — a lid

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