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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 116 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 · mug · tube · season · lean · hand · wound · bear

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — in sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. season — of the year
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — a face
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — help
  23. drill — army training
  24. tube — a container

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