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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — help
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — a series
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rash — hasty

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