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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: bore · pitcher · rest · sharp · spell · bay · saw · pound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pound — a weight
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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