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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 · wound · lash · drill · cell · board · bore · charge

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. charge — in control
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — to get on
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. drill — army training

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