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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — to tire
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — to play on
  9. clip — to cut
  10. spring — of water
  11. present — the time now
  12. spring — the season
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. swing — in golf
  15. present — there
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — for paper
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. hide — to keep secret

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