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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kid — to tease
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. lie — to recline
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. charge — in control
  22. kid — child
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. charge — a price

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