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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. tube — a container
  4. spring — the season
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. tube — the underground
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — a practice
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — of water
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — army training

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