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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. bore — to tire
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. land — a country
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — to come down
  14. current — electric
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stock — goods
  19. current — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. date — on the calendar

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