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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. object — a thing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bore — to drill
  12. object — to protest
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. object — an aim
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mine — for digging
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bore — to tire
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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