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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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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: nail · bat · band · bank · ruler · bay · field · fine

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bank — for money
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. band — a ring
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a music group
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — farmland
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. nail — for a hammer

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