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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — to confront
  17. kid — child
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — part of the head

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