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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 116 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: dip · bat · drill · craft · leaves · tear · bore · stick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. dip — to sink
  21. craft — a skill
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. drill — army training
  24. leaves — lets stay

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