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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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Word bank
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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: club · tear · charge · rush · drill · file · wound · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. charge — in control
  3. drill — army training
  4. file — a tool
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bank — for money
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — a price
  12. club — for golf
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — to rip
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. club — for dancing
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — the tool
  24. charge — electricity

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