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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 116 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 · tear · object · saw · mouse · bank · march · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. object — to protest
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — to rip
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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