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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · drill · spell · stand · can · degree · spring · date

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — the tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — to drill
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. drill — a practice
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — a tin

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