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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — finally
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — ground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — final
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — to drill
  23. land — to come down
  24. chip — for betting

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