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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: wound · wind · bore · bank · craft · bat · tear · board

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tear — from crying
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bank — of a river
  7. craft — boats
  8. bore — to drill
  9. board — a committee
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — to tire

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