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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. row — to paddle
  8. net — in sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bore — to drill
  11. net — after costs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. net — for catching
  15. clip — a video
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — to cut
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — to tire
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. clip — for paper
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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