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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. band — a music group
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cap — a lid
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bore — to tire
  8. roll — a list
  9. cap — a hat
  10. band — a ring
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. roll — a cake
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. row — a line

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