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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: ruler · chest · tube · drill · snap · pound · bat · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pound — a weight
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — a container
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — army training
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wake — a trail
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — the animal

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