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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 116 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: clip · pitcher · mine · drill · wax · calf · bore · stand

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stand — to bear
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — army training
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — for sculpting

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