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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bore — to drill

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