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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bore — to tire
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. charge — in control
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — a cup

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