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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. shower — rain
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. drill — army training
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — to cut
  11. file — a document
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. club — for golf
  21. file — a line of people
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bore — to tire

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