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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stock — goods
  21. press — newspapers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wake — a trail
  24. press — a publisher

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