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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spring — of water
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. spring — the season
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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