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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 · lash · tube · nail · pitcher · scale · ball · saw

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — size or range
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — the underground
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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