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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 120 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 · mug · bound · arm · tear · swing · current · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. current — happening now
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. current — of water
  22. bat — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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