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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. spell — letters
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — high quality
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pop — soda
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — final
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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