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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · pit · wind · cold · bear · bore · rush · staff

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — electricity
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pit — a hole
  17. charge — in control
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — the Cold War

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