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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: field · stick · pop · net · bank · arm · current · drill

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. field — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — army training
  6. net — for catching
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. current — of water
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — in sport
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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