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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 120 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
468
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: fine · bore · face · snap · present · prune · row · net

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to confront
  5. present — the time now
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to point toward
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. face — part of the head
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. present — a gift
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — after costs
  18. present — there
  19. snap — to click
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. bore — to drill
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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