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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — to go away

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