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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — to handle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. clip — for paper
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spring — of water
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — a video
  13. fork — in a road
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. scale — in music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spring — the season
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. spring — a coil

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