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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — the fish
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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