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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: band · saw · mine · pitch · calf · bear · drill · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitch — completely
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a music group
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. drill — army training

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