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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: wake · bore · jam · lie · perch · tear · foot · craft

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bore — to drill
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — to rip
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. craft — boats
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a skill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tear — from crying

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