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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: drill · hand · date · chest · ruler · wound · mate · stick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — army training
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — help
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — a friend

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