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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: cold · bank · court · file · mug · bay · drill · tube

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — army training
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — an illness
  10. file — a line of people
  11. court — of law
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. court — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bank — for money
  16. mug — to rob
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. tube — a container
  22. court — of a king
  23. mug — a cup
  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