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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: bore · kid · can · bound · drill · date · rest · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — army training
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — to tire
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — a break
  24. bound — certain

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