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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to click
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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