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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 · stick · wind · pass · saw · lean · bear · kid

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. kid — to tease
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kid — child
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — the tool

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