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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 · lean · pound · clip · wake · scale · mug · can

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — in music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — thin
  7. drill — a practice
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. clip — a video
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lean — to bend
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pound — a weight
  22. drill — army training
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. can — to be able to

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