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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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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 · wake · last · cabinet · lean · wound · deal · nail

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. drill — army training
  3. last — final
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lean — thin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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