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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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Word bank
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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: stick · mate · fan · rock · swing · drill · bore · wind

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — to breed
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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