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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — the season
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to tire
  17. object — to protest
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — of a river
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to drill
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. march — the month

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