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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: march · bore · net · rush · hide · mouse · stem · tear

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — to drill

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