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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wind — moving air
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to tire
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — child
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tube — a container
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bore — gave birth

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