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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · drill · row · bulb · race · content

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. drill — army training
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — a contest
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — the tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. content — happy
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — a line
  13. content — the amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — a practice
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. row — to paddle

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