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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — a practice
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — a division
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a music group
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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