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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — in golf
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — a phone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. plane — a tool
  24. file — a document

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