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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
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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: bat · bank · kick · drill · scale · clip · key · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — a practice
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. key — in music
  12. bank — for money
  13. bore — to drill
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. drill — army training
  17. clip — for paper
  18. scale — in music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. clip — a video

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