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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bore — to drill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — to breed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mine — belonging to me

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