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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.

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 · cabinet · clip · rule · wake · lash · lean · ball

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. 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. drill — the tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rule — a law
  9. lean — thin
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. clip — a video
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — army training
  24. 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