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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rash — a series
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chip — for betting
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. current — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rash — hasty
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bank — of a river
  19. perch — the fish
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — to eat
  22. current — happening now
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — gave birth

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