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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — humankind
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. race — a contest
  15. mate — a friend
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mate — to breed

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