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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: mouse · rock · drill · perch · cabinet · tear · spring · foot

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rock — a stone
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — a coil
  13. foot — a measure
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rock — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — the tool

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