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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. bore — to tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. tear — from crying
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spring — the season
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. safe — a strongbox

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