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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: wind · toast · club · racket · bore · drill · lean · snap

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. club — for dancing
  3. toast — bread
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. club — for golf
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lean — thin
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. club — a group
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bore — to tire
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lean — to bend

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