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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 · stand · jam · kick · bowl · prune · march · plane

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. drill — the tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. drill — army training
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. march — the month
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stand — to bear
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. drill — a practice
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. kick — in football

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