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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a music group
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — tied together
  13. drill — army training
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — rain
  17. object — a thing
  18. bound — obliged
  19. object — an aim
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. shower — to wash
  22. drill — a practice
  23. object — to protest
  24. bank — of a river

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