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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: nail · swing · cabinet · mine · pitcher · drill · craft · rock

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — a stone
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. drill — army training
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — in golf
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mine — for digging

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