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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — after costs
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. race — a contest
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — in sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — for catching
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rock — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — the fruit

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