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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pound — a weight
  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