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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: bore · straw · march · bark · tear · wave · squash · rash

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — to rip
  17. squash — to crush
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. straw — dry grass

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