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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. field — farmland
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bore — to drill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. bore — to tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cabinet — ministers

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