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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: tear · pop · ground · board · craft · arm · race · bore

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — humankind
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — to get on
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. board — a committee
  13. bore — to drill
  14. race — a contest
  15. craft — boats
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tear — to rip
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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