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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — of water
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a song
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spring — the season
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bank — for money
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bore — to drill
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bank — of a river

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