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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — a match
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rush — hurry
  14. track — a song
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bank — for money
  20. track — a path
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mine — belonging to me

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