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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. present — there
  8. key — for a lock
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fall — the season
  18. cap — of ice
  19. present — a gift
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bore — gave birth

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