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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: fine · bank · drill · bat · scale · cold · mouse · can

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bank — for money
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. can — a tin
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. scale — in music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — high quality
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — all right
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mouse — the animal

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