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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. present — there
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — a gift
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — army training
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pop — to visit
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. present — the time now
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bore — to drill
  24. nail — on a finger

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