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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: swing · bore · pitcher · tube · cold · board · saw · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. tube — a container
  6. cold — not warm
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — the underground
  12. board — to get on
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. swing — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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