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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. branch — a division
  6. saw — the tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a face
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — a practice
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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