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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. drill — army training
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — magic
  7. drill — the tool
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wake — a trail
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bore — gave birth

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