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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: mark · mine · prune · shower · drill · bore · straw · last

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — final
  5. drill — the tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bore — to drill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. drill — army training
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — a grade
  18. drill — a practice
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mine — for digging
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. last — to go on
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bore — to tire

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