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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 124 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: drill · firm · ball · march · pop · wind · bank · track

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bank — for money
  4. pop — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. march — the month
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — of a river
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pop — soda
  15. march — music
  16. track — a song
  17. firm — a company
  18. drill — the tool
  19. firm — steady
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — decided
  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