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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: drill · pit · clip · stem · bay · bore · mate · perch

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bore — to tire
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — a video
  22. drill — army training
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bay — a horse colour

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