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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: bore · file · dip · drill · mark · scale · bound · mine

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — a grade
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. scale — in music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a line of people

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