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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. content — happy
  14. bore — to drill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bound — tied together
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bound — certain
  24. bark — to shout

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