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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — a phone
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stem — of a plant

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