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

Word bank: safe · rest · wind · suit · bank · fine · land · drill

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rest — a break
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — a country
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bank — of a river
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — ground
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rest — what's left
  22. drill — army training
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bank — for money

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