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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. race — humankind
  3. bore — to drill
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — a contest
  24. prune — to trim

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