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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — a practice
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bank — of a river
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — army training
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — the tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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