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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: march · bank · ground · spring · present · drill · net · safe

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. march — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — a practice
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. net — for catching
  8. present — a gift
  9. drill — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — army training
  16. spring — of water
  17. present — there
  18. spring — the season
  19. ground — crushed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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