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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. current — happening now
  8. sharp — clever
  9. current — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. current — electric
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lie — to recline
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tube — a container
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bore — to drill

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