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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
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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: season · nail · bank · mate · drill · foot · bowl · file

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bank — of a river
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. drill — army training
  18. bank — for money
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a document

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