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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. bank — for money
  2. clip — for paper
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bore — to drill
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — a video
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — to cut
  14. drill — the tool
  15. suit — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bank — for money
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — to grow
  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