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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: squash · race · pound · bore · hand · firm · bear · row

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pound — a weight
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. row — a line
  6. race — humankind
  7. bore — to tire
  8. firm — a company
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. race — a contest
  11. hand — help
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — decided
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bore — to drill
  22. row — to paddle
  23. firm — steady
  24. bear — the animal

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