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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: band · cue · sharp · bore · drill · squash · spring · chest

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cue — a hint
  20. squash — the sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cue — a signal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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