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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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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: bore · wake · kid · stick · wound · foot · rest · file

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — child
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wake — a trail
  21. file — a tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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