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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — the season
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — for golf
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hand — in cards
  12. craft — boats
  13. hand — help
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — a coil
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. content — happy
  24. hide — animal skin

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