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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lean — to bend
  23. clip — for paper
  24. pound — for dogs

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