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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 124 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. craft — boats
  11. lean — thin
  12. bore — to tire
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lean — to bend
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. drill — army training

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