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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 · stick · cabinet · tube · spring · wave · present

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spring — of water
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — the season
  19. present — the time now
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. present — there
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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