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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: craft · swing · bank · file · stick · straw · field · bore

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. file — a document
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — to play on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. swing — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bore — to drill
  18. craft — a skill
  19. field — for sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — boats
  23. bank — of a river
  24. swing — in golf

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