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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
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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: plane · stock · last · dip · bore · pop · scale · drill

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. drill — the tool
  5. last — finally
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bore — to tire
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. drill — army training
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — goods
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. plane — a tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pop — music

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