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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bank — for money
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rock — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bank — of a river

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