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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: prune · bore · bear · last · ball · can · fall · drill

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. can — a tin
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fall — the season
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — to be able to
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. last — to go on

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