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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.

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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: shower · last · sharp · rule · fan · drill · lean · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — government
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — final
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — army training
  11. lean — to bend
  12. sharp — clever
  13. drill — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — thin
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. shower — rain

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