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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.

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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: drill · prune · mouse · tube · rash · deal · game · capital

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tube — the underground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — hasty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. drill — army training
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — a container
  15. capital — a city
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. deal — to handle
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mouse — 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