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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 124 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — to rip
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bore — to tire

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