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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. can — a tin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. can — to be able to
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pound — a weight
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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