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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — to sink
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — electric
  8. tear — to rip
  9. drill — a practice
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. drill — army training
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — to handle
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. bore — to tire
  24. racket — a loud noise

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