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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: net · court · firm · spring · band · stick · bank · drill

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spring — of water
  4. firm — steady
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spring — the season
  9. court — of law
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — army training
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — the tool
  17. firm — decided
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a ring
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — a practice

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