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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wake — a trail

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