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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — to drill
  5. present — the time now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rest — what's left
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rest — a break
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. present — there
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. bore — to tire
  24. can — to be able to

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