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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.

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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 · hand · dip · tear · can · cap · fine

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. can — a tin
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — all right
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. dip — to sink
  16. hand — help
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bore — to drill
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — to tire
  24. key — in music

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