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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. tear — to rip
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to drill
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spring — of water
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rock — music
  21. march — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — to move gently

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