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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: stick · pop · file · season · tear · bore · row · present

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. file — a tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — there
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. season — of the year
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bore — to tire
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pop — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a document
  23. pop — to visit
  24. row — a quarrel

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