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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. capital — money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — a break
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — a short time

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