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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. land — ground
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — to rob
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. land — a country
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of a tree

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