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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: bowl · press · bound · ground · nail · scale · hand · drill

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bound — certain
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. scale — in music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — army training
  24. hand — help

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