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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. season — of the year
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. object — to protest
  6. bass — the fish
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. object — an aim
  9. hand — help
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. object — a thing
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bore — to tire

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