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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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Word bank
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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: patient · mug · bulb · straw · roll · tear · fine · bore

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bore — to tire
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fine — all right
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mug — a face
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mug — to rob
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — a cake
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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