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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · tear · foot · date · bore · saw · net · dip

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bore — to tire
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — dry grass

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