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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: net · field · bank · last · can · stick · roll · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — for catching
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bank — of a river
  6. net — in sport
  7. last — finally
  8. can — a tin
  9. roll — a list
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. can — to be able to
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — after costs
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — to go on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — farmland
  21. can — a tin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — final

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