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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chip — to eat
  6. plane — a tool
  7. craft — a skill
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. kid — to tease
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bore — to tire
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — boats
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kid — child
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tear — from crying

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