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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. craft — boats
  9. kid — child
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. drill — a practice

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