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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: bass · last · rule · bound · track · bank · pitcher · drill

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — a law
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — low music
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — the fish
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rule — government
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — finally
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bound — obliged
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — to go on
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bank — of a river

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