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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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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: field · net · drill · foot · deal · bank · squash · straw

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. net — after costs
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. net — for catching
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — a subject
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — in sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. foot — a measure

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