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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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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: tear · bank · row · toast · bore · rock · bat · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. toast — bread
  16. bank — of a river
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bore — to tire
  19. row — a line
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — the animal
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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