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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. 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. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wake — a trail
  4. game — wild animals
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — army training
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — a division
  24. 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