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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: hand · object · row · court · bore · chip · tear · lash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — of law
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. court — for sport
  15. bore — to tire
  16. object — an aim
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of a king
  19. object — to protest
  20. hand — in cards
  21. object — a thing
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — for betting

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