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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · drill · date · net · mine · straw · stand · fork

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stand — to bear
  8. drill — army training
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — the fruit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — the tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. net — for catching

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