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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bank — of a river
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. foot — a measure
  10. drill — army training
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — of the year
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. shower — rain
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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