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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — a price
  9. pound — a weight
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — in control
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — to rip
  22. charge — electricity
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bore — to drill

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