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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · saw · bank · field · drill · rock · court · date

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — army training
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. field — farmland
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of a king

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