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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. degree — an amount
  4. drill — army training
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — a video
  15. mug — a face
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mug — to rob
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cabinet — ministers

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