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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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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — to drill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — ground
  12. board — a committee
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. land — a country

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