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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: arm · drill · tear · hand · bore · pitcher · board · wake

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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