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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. degree — from a university
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — part of the head
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chest — a box
  24. lean — thin

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