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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bound — certain
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — to keep secret

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