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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fork — in a road
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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