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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — to tire
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. land — ground
  8. bore — to drill
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — a country

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