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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a trace
  5. drill — army training
  6. swing — to play on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — to tire
  12. swing — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. branch — a division
  15. swing — in golf
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — a practice

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