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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. season — of the year
  11. row — to paddle
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — of water
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — a line

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