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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: squash · deal · clip · lie · sharp · bore · patient · tear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tear — to rip
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — for paper
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. clip — to cut
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bore — to drill
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. clip — a video
  24. squash — the vegetable

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