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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. current — happening now
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bore — to drill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — an illness
  19. current — of water
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. spring — the season

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