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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rock — music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mark — a trace
  24. scale — size or range

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