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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — magic
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spell — letters
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to drill
  20. firm — a company
  21. bore — to tire
  22. drill — a practice
  23. firm — decided
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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