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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a grade
  5. drill — a practice
  6. present — a gift
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — in sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. mark — a trace
  15. swing — to play on
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. swing — music

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