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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 120 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: march · wave · bore · bat · bear · suit

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. suit — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit

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