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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 · board · rest · staff · tear · cabinet · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — to drill
  4. tear — to rip
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. board — to get on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — gave birth

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