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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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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: tube · cold · bay · deal · current · bore · perch · saw

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bore — to tire
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. current — happening now
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cold — an illness
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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