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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — a position
  5. cell — a phone
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — magic
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — letters
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bank — of a river

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