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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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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: firm · sharp · row · swing · tear · ground · bore · scale

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. firm — a company
  3. tear — to rip
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bore — to tire
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. scale — in music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. firm — decided
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. firm — steady
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — size or range
  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