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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — for catching
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spell — letters
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — after costs

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