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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. branch — a division
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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