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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 · spring · arm · cabinet · bore · date · sharp · saw

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. 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. bore — to tire
  2. spring — a coil
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — to drill
  6. sharp — clever
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — the season
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spring — of water
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. 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