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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 120 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: bore · chip · scale · staff · mug · wound · drill · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — employees
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mug — a face
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. scale — in music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mug — to rob

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