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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. band — a music group
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. firm — steady
  10. present — a gift
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. firm — decided
  18. drill — a practice
  19. present — the time now
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. firm — a company
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a ring

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