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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 116 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: firm · mine · land · bank · ruler · mark · sharp · drill

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — to come down
  6. drill — a practice
  7. firm — a company
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — for money
  12. firm — decided
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — for digging
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — a grade
  22. firm — steady
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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