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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: tear · lean · bore · sharp · date · jam · mouse · ground

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — from crying
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — a position
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bore — to drill
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — a tight spot

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