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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · tear · hand · bay · jam · mine · net · bore

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mine — for digging
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — gave birth

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