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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bank — for money
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — for sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. field — a subject
  20. drill — army training
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — farmland
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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