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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. band — a ring
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — for money
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. can — a tin
  21. kid — child
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — to be able to
  24. band — a rubber band

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