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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a ring
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — for catching
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. net — after costs
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. scale — in music
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. safe — out of danger

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