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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bore — to tire
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — the cause
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. clip — a video
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. root — of a plant
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — of a word
  24. arm — a part of something

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