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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — to rip
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — a break
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kid — child
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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