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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. drill — army training
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stock — goods
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bore — gave birth

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