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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 · bound · nail · hand · toast · coach · object · present

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. object — to protest
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — a thing
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — a gift
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — the time now
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. present — there
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bound — certain
  23. toast — bread
  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