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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 · mine · lean · coach · shower · key · bound · file

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — rain
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. drill — army training
  5. key — the most important part
  6. file — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. file — a document
  12. lean — to bend
  13. key — in music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bound — certain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lean — thin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. file — a line of people

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