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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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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: hide · present · file · band · tear · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a tool
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to tire
  9. present — there
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — to rip
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a line of people
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a ring
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bore — to drill

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