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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. march — the month
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — to drop
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. march — the month
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fall — the season
  20. march — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. press — newspapers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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