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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — all right
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — for digging
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mine — belonging to me

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