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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: hide · drill · clip · bore · ruler · staff · can · mine

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. clip — a video
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. drill — army training
  22. staff — employees
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. staff — employees

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