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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: cue · bound · ball · mouse · straw · drill · tear · calf

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ball — a great time
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cue — a signal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tear — to rip

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