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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 124 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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fall — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. tear — from crying
  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