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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: band · drill · mate · perch · land · nail · saw · stick

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — a country
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. perch — the fish
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. drill — army training
  20. mate — a friend
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — a practice
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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