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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — to drop
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — a straw man

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