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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 120 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: club · drill · saw · wake · cap · arm · rash · stick

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — a group
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. club — for golf
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — a series

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