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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — army training
  7. race — the arms race
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bank — for money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — thin
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pop — soda
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. race — humankind
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — gave birth

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