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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: can · wind · wake · game · mine · cue · pound · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — for pool

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