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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: bass · bear · clip · tear · drill · calf · bore · bowl

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. drill — army training
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bore — to tire
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — a video
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. clip — for paper

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