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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: chest · cabinet · tube · band · drill · rock · mine · nail

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chest — a box
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — army training
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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