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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pop — soda
  3. bore — to drill
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — a practice
  19. can — a tin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pop — music

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