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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — a division
  13. fall — the season
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. pop — music
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — of a bank

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