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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 120 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: pound · drill · fine · bore · mine · can · hand · wake

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fine — all right
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. drill — army training

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