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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: tear · chair · bore · leaves · racket · race

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bore — to drill
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. race — humankind
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — the arms race
  18. racket — a loud noise

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