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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — army training
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. net — in sport
  12. rock — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bank — of a river
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — a jug

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