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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: land · date · ruler · drill · saw · pitcher · staff · present

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. present — there
  4. staff — employees
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — a gift
  13. date — the fruit
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. present — the time now
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ruler — for measuring

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