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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bore — to drill
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. suit — clothes
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. suit — in cards
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — for paper
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. suit — to fit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. clip — to cut
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bore — to tire

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