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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. march — the month
  12. ground — a position
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ground — the earth

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