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

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — magic
  7. current — electric
  8. last — to go on
  9. bore — to drill
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. band — a music group
  16. pound — a weight
  17. last — final
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — happening now
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. current — of water

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