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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rash — a series
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — before a funeral

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