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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — boats
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bore — to drill
  17. dip — to sink
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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