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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to tire
  3. race — a contest
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. drill — the tool
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a ring
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — an explosive

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