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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fall — the season
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — the season
  5. tear — from crying
  6. firm — steady
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tear — to rip
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — of water
  24. calf — of the leg

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