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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — hurry
  19. current — happening now
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. current — of water

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