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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: straw · fan · land · drill · bore · plane · rule · hand

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rule — a law
  3. bore — to tire
  4. land — to come down
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — army training
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fan — a supporter

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