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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
468
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: bore · file · drill · foot · pitcher · rest · rash · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — a practice
  3. foot — a measure
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — a series
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — army training
  24. foot — the bottom

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