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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — to breed
  3. board — to get on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. can — a tin
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. shower — rain
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. shower — to wash
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mate — a partner

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