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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 116 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: drill · scale · bank · wake · mark · can · last · march

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — finally
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. last — to go on
  8. bank — of a river
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mark — a trace
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a grade
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wake — a trail
  20. scale — in music
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. march — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. march — the month

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