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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: drill · bound · cap · saw · coach · shower · file · mouse

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cap — of ice
  5. file — a line of people
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — certain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cap — a hat
  10. drill — a practice
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — a lid

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