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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — a break
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. field — farmland
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a line
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. staff — a stick

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