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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — the season
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bore — to drill
  11. present — the time now
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — of water
  14. rule — a law
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — child
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — to rule out

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