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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 116 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: net · ground · bank · last · bay · bore · field · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. net — in sport
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — for sport
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — for catching
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. last — finally
  14. field — farmland
  15. bank — for money
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. field — a subject
  24. last — final

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