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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 120 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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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: drill · rest · bat · squash · bulb · hand · wake · plane

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — army training
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rest — what's left

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