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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 · snap · bass · tube · drill · ground · bore · game

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — the earth
  17. snap — to click
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — army training
  23. bass — low music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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