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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 · pitcher · chest · wind · lash · bore · craft · date

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. date — the fruit
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — moving air

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