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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: mate · bank · drill · arm · field · mine · deal · tube

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bank — of a river
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mate — to breed
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mate — a partner
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a friend
  13. tube — a container
  14. field — for sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — the tool

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