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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.

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: dip · bat · drill · season · straw · board · wake · pound

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — in sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. board — to get on
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pound — a weight
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. dip — to sink
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pound — to hit hard

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