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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. drill — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bore — to tire
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rule — a law
  9. chest — a box
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. drill — army training
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — a practice
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rule — government
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — dry grass

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