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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. drill — army training
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a match
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bound — certain
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bank — of a river
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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