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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: bore · tear · stand · rush · cell · toast · fork · staff

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — bread
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rush — hurry

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