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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — child
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — thin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fall — the season
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fine — all right

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