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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · tube · wound · drill · bore · racket · snap · mine

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bore — to tire
  17. drill — a practice
  18. snap — to click
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — belonging to me

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