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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — happy

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