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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mug — a face
  3. rock — music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spell — magic
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mug — a cup
  16. can — a tin
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — letters
  21. bore — to tire
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — a stone
  24. can — a tin

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