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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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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — a division
  9. rush — hurry
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — army training
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. drill — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. field — a subject
  22. roll — a list
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rush — to hurry

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