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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 · bass · mug · rush · bore · staff · capital · snap

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to click
  5. bore — to drill
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — to rob
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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