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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
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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: pitcher · bore · object · perch · drill · lean · stem · rest

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rest — a break
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. object — to protest
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lean — thin
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — army training
  21. rest — what's left
  22. object — a thing
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bore — to drill

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