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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — for sport
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. root — the cause
  16. chair — a leader
  17. court — of a king
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cap — a hat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — a video
  24. land — ground

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