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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 116 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: bore · rush · kid · march · land · current · present · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. kid — child
  6. current — electric
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — hurry
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — of water
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. land — ground
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. current — happening now
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. march — music
  24. present — a gift

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