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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mug — a face
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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