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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ground — a position
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rash — hasty
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. scale — in music
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rash — a series
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. scale — for weighing

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