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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. band — a ring
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — part of the head
  8. present — a gift
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — of a river
  11. face — to point toward
  12. last — to go on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. present — the time now
  15. drill — a practice
  16. band — a music group
  17. last — final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to confront
  22. bank — for money
  23. present — there
  24. last — finally

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