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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tube — a container
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — to rip
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. club — for golf
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to drill
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. club — for dancing
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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