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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: nail · file · drill · bore · stem · content · leaves · date

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a document
  6. date — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. drill — army training
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. content — the amount
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. content — happy
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to drill
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. date — on the calendar

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