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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bank — of a river
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. band — a music group
  8. drill — the tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. present — a gift
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a ring
  22. field — farmland
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — to bear

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