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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 116 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: wound · hand · drill · racket · present · can · degree · rash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. can — a tin
  4. present — there
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. degree — an amount
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — a practice
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wound — an injury
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. present — a gift
  19. rash — a series
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. degree — from a university
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — hasty

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