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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: band · calf · bank · pound · net · field · court · craft

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bank — for money
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. bank — of a river
  12. net — after costs
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. craft — boats
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — for catching
  18. court — of law
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. band — a music group
  22. court — of a king
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — a young animal

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