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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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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: bore · wave · drill · wind · racket · spell · bat · scale

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spell — a short time
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spell — letters
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bore — to drill
  20. scale — in music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bat — the animal

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