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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bore — to drill
  4. clip — a video
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a ring
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to tire
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a music group

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