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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — to bend
  5. root — of a plant
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — magic
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a word
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — the cause
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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