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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — for money
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chest — a box
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — certain
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bank — of a river
  19. field — a subject
  20. object — a thing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. object — an aim
  24. dip — a sauce

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