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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. clip — to cut

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