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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — a tool

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