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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — to rip
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — to drill
  24. season — to add flavour

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