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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hand — in cards
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tear — to rip
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — help
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spell — a short time
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — to drill

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