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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 · shower · clip · can · bound · bore · last · calf

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — final
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — to wash
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — to drill
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tear — to rip
  16. can — a tin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. last — to go on
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — a video
  23. shower — rain
  24. bore — to tire

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