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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: patient · last · bore · mate · tear · racket

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. 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. last — to go on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tear — to rip
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. last — final
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — finally
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — to breed
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. 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