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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — army training
  21. craft — boats
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a handicraft

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