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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rock — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — the season

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