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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: clip · drill · wake · rest · ground · bank · file · bear

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — of a river
  4. drill — army training
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rest — a break
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — a position
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. drill — a practice
  23. clip — a video
  24. bear — the animal

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