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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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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: bass · straw · spring · safe · cell · bore · hide · drill

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bore — to drill
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bass — low music
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. drill — army training

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