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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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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: mine · tear · suit · fall · trunk · bore · wake · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — clothes
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — for digging
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — from crying
  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