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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chip — to eat
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stand — to bear
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. march — the month
  10. chip — for betting
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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