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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 120 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: bank · ball · bulb · march · chest · drill · stock · saw

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — of a river
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — shares
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — a box
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — goods
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. march — the month
  23. chest — of your body
  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