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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · content · drill · foot · lean · track

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lean — thin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lean — to bend
  6. content — the amount
  7. drill — the tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bore — to tire
  17. drill — army training
  18. lean — to rest against

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