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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rash — a series
  5. tear — to rip
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. plane — a tool
  8. present — there
  9. cue — a signal
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — a gift
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — a hint
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. branch — a division
  24. cue — for pool

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