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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.

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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bank — of a river
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. swing — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — the tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bank — for money
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. swing — to play on
  21. drill — a practice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cold — the Cold War

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