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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pop — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — soda
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bore — to drill
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — a face

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