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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: wind · jam · roll · present · wound · bore · cue · file

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. present — there
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. roll — a list
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — moving air
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. file — a document
  12. present — the time now
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cue — a signal
  22. file — a tool
  23. cue — for pool
  24. present — a gift

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