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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 · swing · nail · bark · file · tube · arm · current

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — to shout
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bore — to tire
  11. current — of water
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — in golf
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bore — to drill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. current — happening now
  19. file — a line of people
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. tube — a container
  23. swing — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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