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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: band · saw · mine · tube · drill · ruler · jam · clip

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tube — a container
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — a video
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. band — a ring
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. clip — to cut
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tube — the underground

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