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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.

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: sharp · bore · spell · cell · stick · land · date · wound

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — to drill
  4. spell — letters
  5. date — the fruit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — in biology
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — a country
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — to come down
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. land — ground
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — an injury

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