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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. lie — to recline
  4. season — of the year
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — a division
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. dip — to sink
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth

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