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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: race · bear · stock · bore · can · hand · toast · mine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — a tin
  11. toast — bread
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. stock — shares
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. race — humankind
  20. bore — to tire
  21. race — the arms race
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to drill

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