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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of a king

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