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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: game · bank · net · current · bass · ground · land · drill

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. current — electric
  4. land — ground
  5. current — of water
  6. bank — for money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — to come down
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — a country
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the fish
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — low music
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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