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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — to crush
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bat — in an idiom

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