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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — to drill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tube — a container
  14. perch — the fish
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. band — a ring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. band — a rubber band

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