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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. row — to paddle
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — to tire
  24. face — part of the head

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