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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. march — music
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month

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