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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: bore · drill · pass · rest · cap · wave · cold · fan

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bore — to drill

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