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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. branch — of a bank
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — high quality
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — to drill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. board — to get on
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fine — a penalty
  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