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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — to rip
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bore — to tire
  21. tear — from crying
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. season — in sport
  24. bat — the animal

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