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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. current — happening now
  6. drill — a practice
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — electric
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. drill — army training
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. can — to be able to
  19. current — of water
  20. clip — a video
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wax — to grow

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