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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — certain
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. shower — rain
  9. kick — in football
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bound — tied together

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