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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · pitcher · drill · scale · club · rash · wake · degree

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bound — tied together
  5. drill — army training
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. degree — temperature
  16. drill — a practice
  17. club — a group
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rash — a series
  20. club — for golf
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — from a university
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitcher — in baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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