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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. club — for dancing
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — ground
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — to come down
  12. club — for golf
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a music group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — a position
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — in a tire

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