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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: drill · mug · bank · land · wake · hide · fall · spell

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. drill — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — letters
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — for money
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spell — magic
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — ground
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — a short time
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — army training
  24. fall — to drop

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