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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stick · cap · pitcher · cue · bore · bound · staff

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bound — obliged
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a hat
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bore — to tire

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