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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: bore · wound · fan · net · lean · sharp · drill · rock

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — for catching
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. drill — army training
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — thin
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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