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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — of water
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rush — hurry
  9. snap — to click
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bore — to tire
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. squash — to crush

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