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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bore — to drill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — from crying
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — in music
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bore — to tire

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