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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 120 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: ground · cap · saw · spell · bear · leaves · pit · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spell — letters
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. drill — army training
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — the earth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cap — a hat
  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