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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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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: stick · net · mate · bank · wind · bat · drill · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bank — for money
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. drill — army training
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. net — for catching

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