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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pop — to visit
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bore — to tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hand — help

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