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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. tear — from crying
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — a container
  16. spring — of water
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — the underground

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