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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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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: cabinet · drill · kid · branch · coach · band · bank · ruler

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. drill — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. kid — child
  8. branch — a division
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. band — a ring
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. drill — a practice

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