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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · drill · saw · coach · snap · deal · bound · bank

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — of a river
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. saw — the tool
  9. deal — to handle
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. drill — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — army training
  16. bound — obliged
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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