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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: bear · current · wound · tear · bore · lean · march · bass

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to bend
  6. current — electric
  7. bore — to drill
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — thin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — of water
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — to put up with

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