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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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