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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 120 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: mine · bound · tear · bear · cabinet · mouse · cold · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. tear — to rip

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