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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — the fish
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bore — to tire
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — from crying
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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