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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rush — hurry
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. board — to get on
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — to shout
  24. board — a committee

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