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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: current · toast · band · trunk · drill · pitch · straw · bank

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. toast — bread
  4. current — of water
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — army training
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — the tool
  17. current — electric
  18. bank — of a river
  19. band — a music group
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. trunk — of a tree

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