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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pit — a hole
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — certain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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