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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wake — a trail
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — child
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. board — to get on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. tear — to rip

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