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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lie — to recline
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. charge — in control
  13. mug — a face
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. charge — a price
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lie — an untruth

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