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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: cold · bank · field · present · drill · ruler · arm · mine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — farmland
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. bank — of a river
  12. present — the time now
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — a practice
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — there
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cold — an illness
  22. drill — the tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. ruler — for measuring

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