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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. row — a line
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — to roll

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