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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — to trim
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mate — to breed
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pop — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — to tire
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pop — to visit
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mate — a partner

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