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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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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: shower · staff · file · drill · bulb · bank · board · bound

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. drill — a practice
  4. board — to get on
  5. bank — for money
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — rain
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. staff — a stick
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — army training
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bound — tied together

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