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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — to cut
  8. staff — employees
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. charge — in control
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — a price
  23. clip — a video
  24. bore — to drill

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