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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: deal · date · hide · bore · drill · mine · tear · object

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — to protest
  13. deal — to handle
  14. object — an aim
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — army training
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — a thing

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