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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: tear · object · pop · spring · current · bore · row · mouse

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pop — soda
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — to protest
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spring — the season
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — of water
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. object — an aim
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. object — a thing
  24. row — to paddle

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