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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: mine · toast · arm · present · saw · drill · band · cue

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — a hint
  3. toast — bread
  4. drill — army training
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — for pool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — a signal
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. present — there
  24. band — a ring

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