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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — to get on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bank — for money
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — of a river
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. spring — of water
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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