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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: saw · club · drill · rush · board · pitcher · wind · cell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wind — moving air
  3. club — a group
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — a practice
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — the tool
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — for golf
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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