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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. current — happening now
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. hand — help
  22. mine — for digging
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pass — a permit

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