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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. plane — a tool
  5. shower — rain
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. net — for catching
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. drill — a practice
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. drill — army training
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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