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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 116 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: drill · wind · pitcher · rest · squash · pit · prune · tube

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — a break
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — to crush
  24. drill — army training

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