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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 116 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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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: lean · hand · kid · tear · wind · rush · bore · pitch

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — thin
  19. kid — child
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitch — a sports field

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