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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. band — a ring
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tear — to rip
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a music group
  19. bore — to tire
  20. chip — for betting
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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