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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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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: band · drill · bank · chest · bear · pass · root · saw

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — the cause
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. drill — the tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. band — a music group
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. bank — for money
  22. chest — a box
  23. bank — for money
  24. chest — of your body

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