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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — letters
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. tube — a container
  12. bank — of a river
  13. date — the fruit
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spell — magic
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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