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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. land — a country
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pop — soda
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spring — of water
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. bank — of a river
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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