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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 116 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: bat · fall · field · cabinet · bore · wax · sharp · drill

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — for sport
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — the season

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