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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: bore · net · deal · wake · spring · drill · perch · cabinet

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. net — for catching
  8. perch — the fish
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wake — a trail
  13. drill — a practice
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — in sport
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — after costs

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