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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a ring
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rock — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — to move gently
  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