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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: mine · mate · rock · current · bore · clip · drill · pitcher

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — happening now
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. current — electric
  11. rock — music
  12. current — of water
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rock — a stone

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