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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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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: kick · lie · bore · bat · row · bank · craft · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. craft — boats
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bank — for money
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — in football
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bank — of a river
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — an untruth

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