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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: foot · shower · racket · field · bank · rush · bat · lie

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — farmland
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. field — for sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — to hurry

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