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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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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: deal · wound · field · rest · drill · calf · sharp · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rest — what's left
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bank — of a river
  8. field — a subject
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — farmland
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. calf — of the leg

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