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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: bank · firm · net · deal · date · root · clip · drill

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. date — the fruit
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — in sport
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. root — the cause
  9. firm — decided
  10. net — after costs
  11. firm — steady
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bank — of a river
  14. clip — for paper
  15. root — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. root — of a word
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — army training

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