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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: game · mug · tear · bank · saw · drill · fork · swing

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tear — from crying
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. bank — for money
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — a match
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mug — a cup
  24. saw — the tool

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