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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: bowl · bore · pitcher · rush · tear · object · rock · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. object — to protest
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. object — an aim
  14. bore — to tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. object — a thing
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — a stone
  24. arm — part of the body

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