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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a great time
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fork — in a road
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — crushed
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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