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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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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: kid · bowl · prune · can · racket · board · drill · chest

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — a committee
  13. chest — of your body
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. can — to be able to
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chest — a box
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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