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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bore — to drill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — the season
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. leaves — to go away

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