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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: prune · band · race · bore · drill · mouse · cell · spell

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — humankind
  6. band — a ring
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. race — a contest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a music group
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. prune — to trim
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — to tire
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. drill — army training
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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