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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spring — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — magic
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — clever
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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