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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: drill · bank · wind · hand · game · file · safe · branch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — a practice
  8. file — a line of people
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bank — for money
  11. branch — a division
  12. bank — of a river
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. file — a document
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — help
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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