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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 120 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: field · bank · tube · foot · saw · net · root · cell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bank — of a river
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. net — after costs
  7. foot — a measure
  8. net — in sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. cell — a phone
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — for money
  22. root — of a word
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — the underground

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