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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — a video
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bore — to tire
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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