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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: bank · rush · file · nail · court · wound · last · drill

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. last — final
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bank — of a river
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. bank — for money
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — finally
  19. file — a line of people
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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