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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: mine · pass · club · track · drill · saw · bound · fork

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — certain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — a path
  13. drill — army training
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — for dancing
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — a song
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mine — for digging
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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