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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a ring
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — army training
  7. last — final
  8. band — a music group
  9. bank — for money
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. craft — boats
  20. drill — a practice
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bank — of a river
  23. last — to go on
  24. bound — certain

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