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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: sharp · trunk · bore · bowl · mine · arm · drill · file

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bore — to drill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. drill — army training
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. file — a tool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. drill — a practice

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