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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: ball · perch · pop · last · bank · ground · drill · net

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ground — the earth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — to go on
  15. ground — a position
  16. bank — for money
  17. last — final
  18. net — in sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. bank — of a river
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — finally

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