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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. swing — music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chip — for betting
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. swing — in golf
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — for money
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ball — a dance
  21. shower — rain
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — belonging to me

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