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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mine — for digging
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. field — for sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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