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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 · tube · bore · march · mate · hide · bank · pitcher

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. bank — for money
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tube — a container
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — gave birth

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