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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: bank · suit · hand · spell · track · drill · ground · net

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — to keep track
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. net — after costs
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bank — for money
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — a short time
  13. track — a path
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — magic
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spell — letters
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — the tool
  22. suit — clothes
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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