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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: hand · pop · bat · saw · land · staff · mouse · bore

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — a country
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — to come down
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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