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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · bore · lean · cold · ruler · tear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. The water is too ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — thin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — not warm
  10. toast — bread
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bore — to drill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cold — an illness

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