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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. file — a tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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