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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spell — a short time
  3. toast — bread
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cell — in biology
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spell — magic
  14. bass — low music
  15. spell — letters
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — in music
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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