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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cap — a lid
  6. craft — boats
  7. scale — in music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spell — magic
  11. cap — of ice
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. tear — to rip
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bear — to put up with

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