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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bore — to tire
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — in music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. row — a line
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — army training

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