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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: wind · field · fall · ruler · bank · saw · spring · net

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spring — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — for catching
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — a subject
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spring — of water
  16. fall — the season
  17. field — for sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. net — in sport

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