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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to tire
  5. current — electric
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. stand — to bear
  8. current — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. march — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — to drill

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