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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. present — there
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — to tease
  8. track — a path
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — of water
  11. present — the time now
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — a song
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. present — a gift
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bank — for money
  23. track — to keep track
  24. nail — on a finger

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