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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · staff · degree · hand · lie · safe · spring · bore

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. bore — to tire
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — a stick
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. drill — the tool
  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