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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — completely
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bore — to drill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bore — to tire
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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