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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hand — help
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bore — to tire
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — rain
  17. stem — to come from
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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