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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — a grade
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bore — to tire
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — a face
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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