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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — help
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. drill — army training
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bear — to put up with

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