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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: mine · bank · lie · deal · squash · field · file · ball

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bank — of a river
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. file — a document
  20. squash — to crush
  21. field — farmland
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mine — for digging

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