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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: cabinet · saw · wound · cold · jam · rest · drill · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. drill — army training
  15. cold — an illness
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bass — low music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. jam — in traffic

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