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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — soda
  24. cell — in a prison

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