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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: stick · net · bowl · straw · band · field · saw · wound

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — for sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a music group
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wound — an injury

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