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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 124 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. row — a line
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — a break
  13. chest — a box
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — to paddle
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. staff — employees

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