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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: saw · spring · bore · present · ball · craft · wake · rule

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spring — of water
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rule — a law
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. present — a gift
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. craft — boats
  13. spring — the season
  14. rule — government
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spring — a coil
  18. present — there
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — the time now
  24. craft — a skill

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