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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bass — low music
  14. band — a ring
  15. race — humankind
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. band — a music group

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