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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: land · net · march · ruler · game · field · club · bank

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. game — a match
  12. land — ground
  13. march — the month
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — a country
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. march — the month
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — music

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