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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: arm · deal · wound · drill · plane · bound · net · mine

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — after costs
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bound — obliged
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. drill — a practice

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