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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: field · band · sharp · spring · bowl · rule · drill · cabinet

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. drill — army training
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rule — a law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bowl — to roll

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