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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. chest — a box
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spell — magic
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — size or range
  13. board — to get on
  14. wake — a trail
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — a position
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a committee
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spell — letters
  23. bank — for money
  24. scale — in music

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