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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — goods
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. race — a contest
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stock — shares
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. tear — to rip
  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