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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · bore · trunk · tear · rash · mug · dip · hide

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mug — a cup
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mug — a face
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rash — hasty

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