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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: drill · land · bank · hand · wave · tube · hide · pound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — to come down
  24. drill — army training

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