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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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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: drill · mark · clip · sharp · wound · leaves · toast · mug

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — a grade
  3. drill — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — a video
  7. drill — a practice
  8. toast — bread
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — clever
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mug — a face

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