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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. board — to get on
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spring — the season
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — a box
  15. spring — of water
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — a committee
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a dance

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