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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 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bank — for money
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. swing — to play on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mark — a trace
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bank — of a river
  16. date — the fruit
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ball — a dance

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