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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 120 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: rule · bank · straw · stick · leaves · drill · saw · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bank — of a river
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. drill — army training
  15. bank — for money
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bank — for money
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — a practice

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