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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 120 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: bear · mine · bank · march · net · nail · bulb · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — army training
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — the month
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — of a river
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — for digging
  24. march — music

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