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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: bass · hand · roll · spell · drill · safe · bound · land

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. hand — help
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — low music
  7. bound — certain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — to come down
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. spell — letters

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