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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: can · lean · ball · field · straw · bank · date · plane

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. lean — thin
  4. ball — a dance
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. field — for sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bank — for money

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