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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — the season
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — a trace
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. swing — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bore — to tire
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. row — to paddle
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

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