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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: rest · saw · wound · dip · sharp · bore · pit · mark

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — clever
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. dip — to dunk

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