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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spell — magic
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — letters
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. spell — a short time
  24. arm — part of the body

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