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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 120 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: wind · bear · bore · mark · tear · field · current · racket

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — a subject
  15. bore — to drill
  16. current — electric
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tear — from crying

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