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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: saw · fine · bore · stand · object · bat · foot · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — all right
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. foot — a measure
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. object — to protest
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stand — for spectators

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