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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — to wash
  7. dip — to sink
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. squash — the sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. tear — from crying

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