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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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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 · calf · stick · bore · cell · tube · stem · wake

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — of a plant

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