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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. present — there
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wind — moving air
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. present — a gift

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