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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — to tire
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spell — magic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cue — for pool
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — a short time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. shower — to wash
  20. swing — to play on
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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