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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: rock · spring · roll · wound · tear · firm · ground · bore

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — of water
  3. firm — steady
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. firm — decided
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. firm — a company
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bore — to drill
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — the season
  18. rock — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wound — an injury

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