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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. season — of the year
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — for money
  12. saw — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — a container
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — help
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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