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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — to rob
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spell — a short time
  10. present — there
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bore — to drill
  14. present — the time now
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — magic
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a face
  23. present — a gift
  24. prune — the fruit

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