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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · rush · band · bark · ruler · tube · mine · snap

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a music group
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. drill — army training
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. band — a ring
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. snap — to click

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