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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: wound · mouse · pass · craft · drill · pop · leaves · row

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pop — music
  12. row — a line
  13. craft — a skill
  14. drill — army training
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. drill — the tool

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