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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 · wax · hide · bore · row · current · pop · clip

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. clip — a video
  5. drill — army training
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pop — soda
  8. row — a line
  9. current — happening now
  10. bore — to drill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pop — to visit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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