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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stock — goods
  4. bore — to drill
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. bore — to tire
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — a city
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — shares
  24. rush — hurry

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