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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bore — to tire
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spell — magic
  6. shower — rain
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bore — to drill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chip — for betting
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spell — letters
  19. clip — for paper
  20. net — for catching
  21. stem — to come from
  22. net — after costs
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bore — gave birth

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