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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. land — a country
  15. bank — for money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bore — to tire

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