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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: bore · row · march · vault · cap · track · patient · saw

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. row — to paddle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — a lid
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — of ice
  11. track — a path
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — a song
  15. row — a line
  16. march — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cap — a hat
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. march — the month

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