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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: wake · tear · ball · bore · band · drill · plane · straw

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — to drill
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bore — to tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — to rip
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ball — a great time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. drill — army training
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wake — a trail

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