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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — army training
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. object — a thing
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. snap — to click
  16. object — to protest
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — for golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. club — a group
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bore — to drill
  24. object — an aim

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