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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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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: snap · last · band · drill · safe · bore · roll · bound

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bound — obliged
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to drill
  10. band — a music group
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. drill — army training
  20. bound — tied together
  21. last — final
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. snap — to click
  24. last — to go on

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