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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 · bat · kid · bore · shower · wave · trunk · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kid — child
  4. bore — to tire
  5. drill — army training
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. drill — a practice
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bat — the animal

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