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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bank — of a river
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — a position
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — crushed
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. date — the fruit
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bank — for money

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