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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 120 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: bore · mug · mate · row · tube · prune · hand · object

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mug — a cup
  6. row — a line
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. object — a thing
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. object — to protest
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — an aim
  19. mug — to rob
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — to drill
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. prune — the fruit

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