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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — a city
  7. bore — to tire
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tear — to rip
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. kid — to tease
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — child

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