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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bore — to tire
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. object — an aim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. scale — in music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tear — from crying
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. net — for catching
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bore — to drill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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