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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — a break
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — boats
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — of water
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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