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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: drill · bound · chest · arm · march · bulb · pit · nail

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — army training
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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