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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · clip · stick · pitcher · drill · bore · dip · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — of water
  8. drill — the tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to tire
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bore — to drill
  15. clip — a video
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. clip — to cut
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — army training
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — a jug

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