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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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468
Word bank
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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fine — all right
  6. band — a music group
  7. bass — low music
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bore — to drill
  10. key — in music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pit — in a race
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — the most important part
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — for a lock

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