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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — finally
  4. spell — a short time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spell — letters
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — to go on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spell — magic

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