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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 116 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: kid · can · lean · drill · band · swing · saw · pass

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. drill — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. kid — child
  5. lean — thin
  6. can — a tin
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. band — a music group
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pass — a permit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. lean — to bend
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. drill — army training
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. swing — in golf

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