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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. land — to come down
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. wake — a trail
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — a list
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bank — for money

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