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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — of water
  8. vault — a safe
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chest — a box
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bass — low music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fall — the season
  24. bass — the instrument

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