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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — low music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. band — a music group
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bass — the fish
  13. staff — employees
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — to drill
  19. drill — a practice
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. file — a tool

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