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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pound — a weight
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bat — in an idiom

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