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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — hurry
  9. club — a group
  10. mate — a friend
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — a face
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — a partner

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