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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. land — a country
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to drill
  10. scale — in music
  11. land — ground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — letters
  14. cap — a hat
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spring — of water
  19. land — to come down
  20. tear — to rip
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — a coil

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