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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a music group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to bend
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lean — thin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. band — a ring

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