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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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — a container
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. file — a tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — soda
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — moving air
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. hand — help

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