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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. drill — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. band — a music group
  7. shower — to wash
  8. object — to protest
  9. shower — rain
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rock — music
  19. drill — army training
  20. object — an aim
  21. bore — to tire
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rock — a stone
  24. object — a thing

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