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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. present — a gift
  4. tear — from crying
  5. present — there
  6. field — for sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — to rip
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — to tire
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. field — a subject
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — farmland
  24. bear — the animal

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