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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 120 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: game · land · nail · bound · shower · field · mug · bank

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — wild animals
  3. field — farmland
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — a country
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bound — certain
  10. field — for sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a match
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bank — for money
  22. bound — obliged
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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