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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 · cue · clip · perch · vault · bore · tube · field

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — for sport
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — to drill
  9. clip — a video
  10. cue — for pool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cue — a hint
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — a subject
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to tire
  23. field — farmland
  24. tube — in a tire

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