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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tear — to rip
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. rule — a law
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — government
  20. content — the amount
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — of water
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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