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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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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: bank · row · jam · bat · lie · straw · field · kick

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a line
  3. field — for sport
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kick — in football
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — farmland
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bat — the animal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — for money

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