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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 124 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bore — to drill
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chest — of your body
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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