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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cue — a signal
  3. craft — a skill
  4. net — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bound — certain
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stem — to come from
  18. net — for catching
  19. cue — a hint
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — for pool
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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