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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. staff — employees
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — a tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bore — to drill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. plane — in geometry

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