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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — army training
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. clip — a video
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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