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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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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: saw · dip · shower · jam · drill · wound · staff · bat

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — a stick
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — the animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — employees
  19. saw — the tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — for baseball

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